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A ward at the new Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary has been hit by an outbreak of norovirus, affecting nine patients and six staff.

NHS Dumfries and Galloway say the virus is contained in ward B2. As the ward consists of all single rooms, it remains open and running as normal.

The Infection Control Manager said:

As norovirus is so infectious, it is important that all measures are taken to prevent spread of infection and this includes staying away from vulnerable individuals if you have had diarrhoea or vomiting in the previous 48 hours.”

A ward at West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven has been closed to visitors, after an outbreak of norovirus.

The virus is circulating on Ward 3a at the hospital, and a small number of patients have been affected.

All visitors are asked not to visit the ward, apart from end of life patients and patients for whom, at the discretion of ward staff, it is felt viewing is essential.

Anyone planning to visit other parts of West Cumberland Hospital, or the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle, is asked to stay away if they or their family members have shown norovirus symptoms in the last two days.

A temporary suspension for routine visitors to the Cumberland Infirmary has been lifted.

It applies to all parts of the hospital, with the exception of Beech A&B and Maple D wards.

The visitor ban was put in place last week after a Norovirus outbreak, and the NHS Trust in charge of the hospital says it's helped them to get the situation under control.

The Trust brought in these measures to ensure the safety of our patients and staff. The levels of norovirus have dropped significantly throughout the hospital due to restrictions and I would like to thank our patients and visitors for their co-operation.

We know that many visitors feel they must take every opportunity to visit sick friends or relatives, and understand how difficult this must have been. We didn’t take this decision lightly but the more people who pass through our hospitals, the greater risk of the virus spreading, affecting more vulnerable patients and hospital staff.

I would like to remind people if you have had norovirus yourself, please stay away until you have been symptom-free for at least two days.